Electric alarm



Patented June 22,- 1886.

C. M. BARNES.

ELECTRIC ALARM.

Figl.

N. PETERS. PholLhugnpher, Washinglon, D. CV

(No Model.)

' FFECE@ PATENT CARLOS M. BARNES, OF ENOSBURG, VERMONT.

ELECTmC ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 344,233, dated June 22, 1886.

(No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that l, Cannes M. BARNEs, of Enosburg, in the county of Franklin, State of Vermont, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Alarms, of which the following is a description su'ilieiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said inventionappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of the alarm proper,aportion ofthe dial ofthe elockand also a portion of the disk of the switch being represented as removed Fig. 2, an enlarged vertical section of the switch, taken on the linex Fig. 8, a diagram showing a modification of the method of connecting the clock mechanism with the switch, and Fig. 4 a diagram showing the arrangement of the conductingwires, bell, and alarm proper.

Likeletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures ofthe drawings.

My invention relates more especially to that class of electrical alarms which are employed in hotels, steamboats, &c., for awaking or calling the guests; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, the object being to produce a more effective and otherwise desirable device of this character than is now in ordinary use.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation.

In the drawings, A represents the board or platform on which the principal operative parts of the alarm are mounted,B the clock and C the switch` For convenience of reference the switch-levers, rotating disk, switchtable, and their immediatelyconnected parts are collectively called the switch77 The elock may consist of any ordinary timepiecea marine clock in which there is a balancewheel and hairspring being preferable-the case p of the clock being attached to the board A. The case m, inelosing the switch mechanism, corresponds, preferably, in diameter and height with that of the clock, and is also attached to the board A and stands on the same plane with the clock. A standard, D, is disposed at the center ofthe ease m, and mounted on this standard there is adisk, E, adapted to rotate on the pivotal screw f, which passes through a hole in the center ot' the disk into the top ot' the standard. Secured firmly to the inner side of the disk at its center there is a small bevelgear, d, through which the screw f passes. A small bevel -gcar, t, is firmly secured to the arbor or staff on which the hour-hand of the clock is disposed, and mounted in a support, Z, within the ease p oi' the clock, and in a support, Z', within the case m of the switch, there is a shaft, H, which passes through corresponding holes, '0, in the sides of said cases. .Disposed on one end ol said shaft there is a bevel-pinion, r, which iutermeshes with the gear d of the switch, and on the other end a bevel-pinion r' which in- 7 "'1 termeshes with the gear t of the clock. The

Ydisk ll of the switch is provided on its face with twelve rows, 7.2, of Figures or numbers, the numbers in each row corresponding with the numbers ot' the rooms in the building iu which the alarm is used. The twelve rows of numbers are arranged radially around the center of the disk E, and corresponding with the twelve hours represented ou the dial of the clock. A hole, I), is formed im mediately beneath each of the numbers on the disk for receiving a pin, J. rlhere are also a series of holes, a, formed in said disk midway between the rows 7.-, representing the half-hours, and midway between the holes a and each ot' the rows 'la there are also a series of holes, y, representing the quarterhours. For lack of space but one of theholes a and two of the holes y are represented between either two of the rows k, and for like reason but four numbers are placed in each of said rows-viz, 2, 4, 8, and 5. A switchboard, M, is disposed within the case m, said board containing as many switches proper as there are rooms in the building or holes in either of the rows ls. An ordinary electrical battery, N, is placed in the cellar, or in any other eonvenientportion ofthe house, andleading from said battery to the switch-board M there are a series of conducting-wires, l 2 34,

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respectively connected with the screws i in said board', the wires corresponding in Illiniber with thenumber of the roomsin theliouse, and also with the number of holes in either of the rows 7c. A series of wircs,5 6 7 8, also lead from the switch-board to the respective rooms of the house, the ends of said wires protruding through the board near the screws z', as shown at u. Mounted on each ot the screws@- there is a metallic switch-lever, g, provided witha spring, h, one end of which spring is secured to the lever and the other to the screw on which the lever is mounted, the springs acting torsionally to keep the levers out of contact with the protruding ends uof the wi res 6 7 8, or to keep the circuits open. A series of wires, 9 l0 ll l2, lead directly from the batteryN to the respective rooms of the house without necessarily passing th rough the lalarm l alarm proper to the bell O, and one of the return-wires, 9, from said bell to the vbattery N,- 'the wire 4 being `adapted to connect with"wire 5 in the switch-board M, the wires 6, 7, and 8 leading to and the wires l0, ll, land l2 from other bells, (not shown, as it is not deemed essential to represent but one in order to understand the lnature and operation of the improvement.) It will be obvious that the wires 4, 5, and'9 are in one circuit, the wires 3, 6, and 10 in another, the wires 2, 7, and 11 in another, and the wires 1, 8, and l2 in another, the number of circuits also corresponding with `the number of rooms and with the number ofholes in each of the rows k. Y

To illustrate the niethod'of using the improvement: If, for instance, a guest occupying room No.4 retires at eleven oclock at night and desires to be called at four oelock in the morning, the clerk or other person in v. charge of the alarm will observe that the difference between eleven oclock p. m. and four oclock a. in.'is five hours, and he will there? `fore count the rows 7c backward on the disk E, beginning at the mark w, (which correspends with XII on the dial of the cloek,) until he has counted five rows, and will then vstick 'the Apin J inthe vhole b immediately beneath the tgure4insaid'row. The arbor orstaff on which the hour-hand ofthe clock is secured being connected 'th rough theshaft H, piniiis r vz, and gearst d'with the disk E, and said disk adapted to rotate in the 'direction of its Varrow in unison` with said yhour-hand, it will "be obvious that when the'liour-hand hasadva'nced on 'thedial of the clock ve hoi1rs,'or from Xl p. 1n. to IIII a. ni., the disk E will have'advainced a corresponding distance, or five rows k, bringing the pin J into'contact with the le- `very/"of the wire 4, causing 'said Vlevertostrike the projecting end u of wire 5, thereby forining a circuit throughfthe wire 9 and ringing the bell O, in a manner which `will be readily obvious without a more explicit description.y Suitablestops, j, are provided on the switchboard M, against which the arms of the levers g strike to keep them in proper position. It will be understood of course that the holes (t y are to be used for the pins .I when setting the alarm for half orquarter hours, as the case may be.

Instead of connecting the disk E with the clock by means of the shaft H, a large gear. L, may be secured to the inner side of said disk, and a corresponding gear, P, to the arbor on which the hourhand of the clock is mounted, and said gears connected by an intermediate gear, Q, disposed between the clock and switch mechanism, if preferred, as shown in Fig. 3.

I do not confine myself to the use of the bell-crank levers g'for forming the circuits at the switch-board, as any suitable means for that purpose may be employed in connection 'with the rotating "disk E, clock B, andconducting-wires. There is a switch-lever, y, corresponding with 'each number in either of the rows 7c on the disk E, and each of said levers is so arranged that its verticalor lower 'arm (the lever being made in the shape of a bell- "'cl'ank) will stand in the path of the pin cor' 'responding therewith when the lpin is inserted in the disk, so that when the pin strikes said vertical arm it will swing the lever on its pivotal screw t' and bring its horizontalarm into contact with the end u of the wire in the same circuit, as described. After the pin passes or escapes from the vertical arm of the lever, the spring h will swing the lever around into its normal position, or out of contact with `the end u ot the wire, thereby 'breaking the 'circuit and stopping the ringing of the bell. The levers maybe so formed and arranged with respect to the pins that the pins will pass 'the same or escape therefrom in any given number of seconds, thus regulating the time the bell vwill continue to ring, as desired.

It will be obvious that more or lless numbers and holes 'may be employed onthe disk E, 'asv desired or in accordance with the number ofA rooms which are provided with alarmbells, and that when but one room is provided with a bell the rows on the disk E will each contain but one number and one pin-hole corresponding therewith; but the rowsare to vbe arranged radially around the center of the disk and the same :number of rows employed,

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whether/theycontain more or less numbers'an'd holes. Y .Having thusexplained my invention, what I i'claim is 1. In an alarm of the character described,

the combination of the following instrumen wire connecting the alarm-bell'direetly with the battery, a switch-lever adapted to connect said battery-wire and bell-Wire, and a pin adapted to pass through a hole in the disk and engage said lever, said disk being provided with numbers and holes arranged radially in rows around its center, the numbers corresponding with the number of the room in which the bell is located and the rows corresponding with the hours on the dial of the clock, substantiallyas described.

2. In an alarm mechanism of the character described, the rotating disk E, provided with the rows of numbers and holes 7c and pin J, in combination with the gears el t, pinions r z, shaft H, clock B, lever g, wires 4, 5, and 9, bell O, and battery N, substantially as described.

CARLOS M. BARNES.

Witnesses:

GHARLEs R. ELRIoK, A. J AMES SMITH. 

